Replica of the Guyposcoano giant’s’shoe: re-signification of the object in the collections of the University of Coimbra

Abstract

In the collections of the Science Museum of the University of Coimbra, heir to the former Museum of Natural History and the Anthropological Museum, there is a replica of the right shoe of Miguel Joaquín de Eleicegui Ateaga (1818-1861), known as the "Guipuscoan giant", whose stature is reported to have been 2.42 m. He became a prominent figure in public exhibitions, travelling through European courts, cities and villages. This study reconstructs the trajectory of this object, from its production to its incorporation into the university collections, and discusses its value as an historical, scientific and museological witness. The shoe, made of green leather and measuring 39.5 cm in length, 13 cm in width and 11.5 cm in height, was crafted by the shoemaker António Claudino and accompanied by a manuscript by the parish priest António José Afonso, attesting to its authenticity and to Miguel Joaquín’s stay in Sintra in July 1844. Later recorded in the 1881 inventory of the Cabinet of Natural History, this artefact documents his presence in Portugal, deepens knowledge of the University of Coimbra’s collections and supports the reappraisal of this singular piece of museological heritage.